Can plants grow in moon soil?

Question

Has anyone tried to grow plants from the moon material returned from the Apollo missions? Obviously, the moon has no appreciable atmosphere to do this but if a dome were placed on the surface of the moon, would plants grow? If they would, then could the moon soil sustain farming?

Answer 1

Probably if treated properly.
All plants need to grow is light, water and nutrients. There really is no need for soils as many plants can grow straight in a nutrient solution. It´s called hydroponics. But growing in a medium like soil is how plants usually grow and some plants, like potatoes, require it. Lunar regolith could work as a growth medium if properly treated (soil is a terrestrial term as it contains lots of organic material. There are no orgnic substances in lunar regolith). Just treating the lunar regolith with water an CO2 could make it quite safe for plants. It is bound to contain alkaline oxides. Water would turn them into caustic hydroxides but CO2 would turn them into carbonates. Carbonates are not only pH neutral but they are also pH buffers and good nutrients for plants. There might be some other exotic minerals in regolith but most of it is composed of SiO2 or glass. Actually it is made up out of microscopic chards of glass that could potentially shred the cellwalls of plants. Treating the regolith with water would cause the tiniest particles to go into solution (SiO2 is not easily dissolved in water but it isn´t completely insoluable) and the bigger would be smoothed out turning them into more like sand particles. I don´t know of any tests made with actual lunar regolith and plants but I think tests made it lunarsimulant, earth soils that very much resemble lunar regolith in chemical composition, have been conducted. Of course lunar simulant is not made up out of tiny chards of glass.
On the moon every molecule of water an CO2 would be extremely precious so I don´t expect any to be spent processing lunar regolith anytime soon. Instead hydroponics will be the prime method for food production on the moon in the near future.

Answer 2

Moon Soil

Answer 3

This depends entirely on the composition of the soil. Many plants actually depend on the community of bacteria in ordinary soils to some extent. So if these were absent some plants might have a hard time. The other thing is that much of the soil is of meteoric origin and may have a high content of heavy metals like nickel. Nickel is toxic to many plants. If the soil composition is right and the right kinds of soil bacteria are present, it should be possible to grow some food crops on the Moon in buildings.The low gravity might play merry hell with a few plants too.

Answer 4

We may grow things in moon soil if the soil has the nutrients the plant needs. The soil would have to be contained indoors. It couldn't be on the moon's surface as there is no moon atmosphere so there is no water to provide a medium for the roots to take in those nutrients. With no atmosphere water would turn to steam and float away.

Answer 5

I don't think they brought back a bag of dirt from the Moon. They brought back rocks, which would be far more stable and easier to collect, and would be a better resource for studying the geology of the Moon.

I have no idea how fertile moon soil would be. I suspect that, while it may be mineral-rich, it lacks any significant amount of organic material. Probably like trying to grow crops in sterilized sand from the beach -- you'd have to put lots of compost in to get any significant plant growth.

Answer 6

The soil on the moon is so caustic that it is very dangerous to breath. It would be one of the biggest dangers to a possible base on the moon. It could probably be modified to grow plants but in its raw state it is totally unsuitable.